Published on 08/02/23

Our Pesto Pasta recipe is simple, delicious, and made with just a few fresh ingredients whose flavors compliment each other in the best way. Serve this easy pesto pasta recipe with grilled chicken breast, grilled shrimp, or grilled salmon to make it a delicious main course or robust side dish.

A bowl with cooked pasta shells and basil pesto sauce.

The Best Pesto Pasta

Fresh basil pesto works on just about anything; poached eggs, pesto salmon, in Instant Pot jasmine rice, you name it! Which is why it’s a no brainer to pair this classic sauce with pasta to make a quick and tasty side dish with fresh summer ingredients. This is one of our favorite pasta dishes to serve up in the summertime, but it’s delicious any time of year.

Key Ingredients + Substitutions

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients.

fresh basil leaves – perfect for harvesting from the garden all summer long or pick some up at your local farmers market or grocery store.
parmesan cheese – option to purchase an already grated cheese or grate a block yourself. Feel free to use a dairy-free option!
reserved pasta water – This starchy pasta water helps your delicious pesto coat all of your noodles perfectly.
optional protein add ins – Add your favorite protein to make this a complete meal. Our favorites are grilled chicken breasts, salmon, shrimp, or tofu!
medium pasta shells – We picked shells, but penne pasta or any pasta of your choice will work well.

How To Make Pesto Pasta

Start by gathering all of the pesto ingredients and add them to a small food processor or blender. Then blend all the ingredients together until you notice a smooth consistency.

Bowls with individual pesto ingredients and then all of the ingredients blended together in a food processor.

Feel free to adjust the salt after tasting. If you’d like your pesto to be a bit thinner, add additional olive oil, one tablespoon at a time.

Basil pesto in a mason jar with a spoon.

Next, cook your pasta al dente according to the package directions. Before draining your pasta, carefully scoop out approximately a half cup of pasta water with a measuring cup or soup ladle. Once the water has been collected, drain the pasta and return it to the warm pot along with the pesto sauce and a splash of the reserved pasta water.

Cooked pasta shells and basil pesto in a bowl.

Stir the pesto and al dente pasta so that the pesto sauce covers all of the noodles. Feel free to add additional splashes of pasta water to reach your desired consistency.

Pro Tips

To amp up the flavors in this basil pesto pasta, experiment with add-ins like red pepper flakes, sliced grape tomatoes, feta cheese, black olives, or fresh mozzarella balls. Or add grilled chicken breasts to make chicken pasta salad. Tell us which add-in was your favorite!

Basil pesto sauce covering all of the shells in the bowl.

Recipe FAQs

Dairy-Free: We’ve got you with this dairy-free pesto recipe.
Pesto: Store bought pesto will work in this recipe, but we promise that the homemade pesto sauce is lightyears brighter, fresher, and just better.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container for the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition: The nutrition information in the recipe card accounts for the pasta and pesto sauce, not the optional added proteins.

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